MUSICREVIEW Jet Shine On 3.5 stars At first it's tempting to write Jet off as another hack version of unoriginal copycat rock, focusing its sound on imitation rather than emulation. But when all is said and done, Jet is just a band that understands the concept of respecting one's elders and honoring the rock gods that came before it. With the release of its sophomore album, Shine On, the group has chosen to bring back a sound that is sorely missing in today's music scene - a sound rooted in the revolutionary 1960s and '70s. There is a strong counterculture appeal to this album, bubbling over with a spirit of indignation and a quest for unmitigated freedom. The group's aggressive homage to the classics and unapologetic adherence to the glory days of rock should be seen as a strength rather than a weakness. The band is intelligent enough to realize the true roots of greatness rather than waste time dabbling in the uninspired muck of most modern music. Many listeners see the marketability of groups such as Jet as proof that this once sacred form of artistic expression now is serving as yet another capitalistic gleam in the eye of a profit-driven music industry. That is not the case with Jet. These Aussie rockers simply are continuing to carry the psychedelic torch through stylistic intricacies influenced by the purity of what once was. Shine On features the same cocky in-your-face rock 'n' roll sound fans have come to know and love from the band, as well as bittersweet balladry. While not packing quite as much of a hard-rock punch as its debut Get Born, Jet's latests revels in the influence of The Beatles, The Stones and even Nazareth. And of course no Jet album would be complete without a face-melting stylistic cameo from AC/DC and the blues-based British warbling of Oasis-inspired vocals. The group's hard-hitting rock style manifests itself most notably in the upbeat "Come On Come On," which takes its inspiration from The Who, laced with a bit of Tomorrow. The track exudes classic psychedelic features such as backward tape sounds and the occasional exotic Eastern-sounding melody. "Shiny Magazine" and "Kings Horses" find their roots in the budding melancholy psychedelia of late '60s folk rock with tender timbre and eerily incandescent piano lines invoking a sound akin to that of The Beatles. Dripping with sincerity and old-school heart, "Skin and Bones" boasts a sound reminiscent of Rod Stewart circa "Maggie May" mixed with gritty old-school Dylan. Ultimately, the group's sophomore effort is a success, as Jet continues to pay tribute to its roots while venturing into the experimental middle ground between hard rock and soft folk. Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
